Let us look at how to use the nginx ingress controller log format json. With the support of our Nginx hosting support services at Bobcares we will learn how to set this feature up.

Why set up Nginx ingress controller log format json?

When Nginx is used as an Ingress controller, log files are generated that contain information about incoming requests, response status codes, and other details.

Nginx logs in a text-based format by default, which might be difficult to read and analyze. To make working with Nginx logs easier, we may configure Nginx to log in JSON format.

Setup: Nginx ingress controller log format json

We must edit the configuration file used by the Ingress controller to set the log in JSON format. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Modify the Nginx configuration file as follows:

   kubectl edit configmap -n nginx-configuration

   We have to replace Namespace with the name of the Kubernetes namespace in which the Ingress controller is executing.
2. After that, to the configuration file, add the following lines:

   http { log_format json '{' '"time_local": "$time_iso8601",' '"remote_addr": "$remote_addr",' '"remote_user": "$remote_user",' '"request_method": "$request_method",' '"request_uri": "$request_uri",' '"status": "$status",' '"body_bytes_sent": "$body_bytes_sent",' '"http_referer": "$http_referer",' '"http_user_agent": "$http_user_agent"' '}'; access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log json; }

   These lines specify the “json” log format, which logs different request information in JSON format.

   The final line specifies that the access log should be recorded in JSON format to the file “/var/log/nginx/access.log.”
3. After that, we have to save the configuration file and exit.
4. Finally, start the Ingress controller again by typing in the following command line:

kubectl rollout restart deployment -n namespace nginx-ingress-controller

The Ingress controller will be restarted with the updated configuration parameters.

When we’ve setup the Nginx to log in JSON format, we can parse and analyze the logs using tools like Logstash or Fluentd. JSON logs are easier to understand and connect with other systems and tools.

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Conclusion

To sum up we have now seen how to setup the nginx ingress controller log format json. With the support of our Nginx hosting support services at Bobcares we have now gone through the whole setup process.